Great campground very friendly staff! I would like to apologize about accidentally dropping my…read moreoatmeal all over the parking area of lot 41 and did not have a way of clearing it up. I tried contacting you after hours but no luck. I guess I thought about every possible camping equipment except a broom and dustpan. I stayed there 7/29/2025

I arrived at this campground for the first time and was greeted very warmly by the new hosts (a…read moreyoung couple). In all my experience at various campgrounds, I have never been welcomed like that. They were genuinely nice people and spent some time getting to know me. So refreshing! I then pulled into my space and I can tell already it's fantastic. The neighbors around me are quiet, nice, and everyone seems respectful. I immediately went out walking and found accessible trails with a small creek that immediately catches your attention. It's twilight now and despite the Park fire (only 100 miles away), it's very quiet despite being almost full. Also, relatively little road noise, considering where it is. This is definitely a magical little place, and I'm very glad I found it. I'll be back for sure.

I love Gold lake. Snow camping here is epic if your rig and winch can get you through the icy snow…read moreto camp by the lake! The best part is no one will be here in the cold! Snow hiking is awesome but you can easily get lost! Have fun!

10/21/2023 It's been…read morea very long time since our last visit.. Still have the fishing bug... trying to take advantage of the time and weather... Windy as heck, but the scenery takes it all !!! Next trip, hoping to catch some nice ones!

First, it is referred to by most as "Salmon Lake". Technically it is at "Upper Salmon Lake" near…read moreSierra City, CA near Bassett's Station. I really enjoy Salmon Lake Lodge and here is my run down on everything: (See the pictures for detail) Basics: This place is remote! If you like being a hermit for a week this is the place. There is absolutely NO CELL RECEPTION!!! I am serious, you have to drive into Graeagle to get cell service. Many of the cafes in Graeagle have wifi. Also, you drive to the lake and then take a barge (floating dock with a motor for you city slickers) across the lake. The camp site and lodge are not reachable by vehicle! However for you die hard hikers you can reach the lodge using the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). It does get cold at night even in summer since you are at 6,500 ft elevation. You can also take a 30 minute hike from the parking lot around the lake to the lodge. However that trail is very narrow and pretty rocky. Again for the city clickers: None of the trails are paved! The Lake: Even in August the lake water is REALLY COLD! I wear a wet suit. My wife and in-laws (whom I think are crazy) swim without a wet suit. Basically, if you can handle the Northern California Ocean you may not need a wet suit. There is an island which is great to kayak to and jump off the rocks. There are quite a few rocks on the island and around the edge of the lake to jump off and it is so much fun! For the fisherman, the lake is stocked with rainbow trout, but there are some other fish in there as well. There are ducks, some eagles, some rocks for climbing, and a few coves to explore. Tent Cabins: Beds: Twin Bunk Bed and separate Full Sized Bed. Mattresses are pretty hard! Kitchen: Two electric burner cook top, Mini Refrigerator with Tiny Freezer section (like a college dorm, Table with two benches, Plastic tub for food storage, Trash bucket, Dish Tub, Broom, and dust pan. There is also a wood burning stove for heat and the site provides firewood. Outside each cabin is an outdoor table with two benches and a BBQ like you would find at a city park. Details: There are 10 tent cabins in 5 buildings labeled A-J. The I/J tent cabins are the furthest west and therefore the most quiet. The G cabin is the closest to the bathroom. Amenities: The Lodge provides row boats, kayaks, and a few canoes on first come first serve basis at NO CHARGE! This is a big reason I like Salmon Lake, it is a very small lake that you can kayak around and jump in the water as you wish. There is a bathroom/shower/dishwashing house for everyone in the tent cabins. The shower always has had hot water when I used it. The bathrooms are cleaned daily and have running water and lighting and are very nice. The dish washing station is outside and is a double sink for washing and rinsing. There is also a washing machine for clothing (great for you hikers). You hang dry your clothes (bring a clothes line or parachute cord). It is a great place for hiking. You can reach the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) easily and the Sierra Buttes. There are also shorter trails to Horse Lake, Deer Lake, and Lower Salmon Lake. Note: There is a waiting list to get in. It is fairly exclusive. Message me if you have questions I've been here a few times and my in-laws have been going here for generations.

I witnessed the ladies of Salmon Lake Lodge save the life of a hypothermic kayaker this morning…read more Thank God for their efforts and courage to save this young man's life! You are heroes

Amazing place, ten out of ten. However if anyone finds keys in the swimming hole please let me know!read more

Sometimes Plan A goes awry. That's happened to me too many times to count in the beautiful Lakes…read moreBasin Recreation Area. The second to last time that happened, I discovered this campground, which is right below my all time favorite, and because the host was so nice I mentally bookmarked for the future. Well, after trying to find a spot at our favorite again, we hit this one hoping to find a spot on a busy weekend and lucked out! Most of the sites were reserved, but the host pointed us toward sites 6+7, which were perfect! The grounds are impeccably maintained. Almost as if the ground itself was swept and vacuumed! Fire rings are strong and in tact, though one of our sites was missing a grate. The grounds are far from the road, so there's no noise, and the sites are pretty well spread apart, so that makes them pretty cozy! But the best part about staying anywhere in this area is the beauty of the night sky. Stars abound. The Milky Way is visible. Shooting stars are nearly a guarantee. And if that's not enough, this is an ideal jumping off point for some phenomenal hikes. Reserve a spot and plan a trip or hit it on a whim. You won't be disappointed!

Great campground! There are two loops, the higher numbers being further away from the highway. The…read morescenery is beautiful and the view of the stars at night is breathtaking. The campground itself is kept very clean. There are no showers and the toilets are vault. The toilets are kept exceptionally clean but are still pretty fowl smelling upon entering (just a heads up). There are several swimming holes you can hike down to (directly across the highway from campground). The town of Downieville is also very close and has some fun places to visit. Best camping trip thus far, I will definitely return next summer for more fun!

This great campground is about 6 miles west of the town of Downieville, tucked among the trees of…read morethe Tahoe National Forest. As the other reviewer notes, there are two loops. The lower loop is almost parallel to Hwy 49, but the upper loop is up a bit further back. Though traffic noises could be heard, they weren't too intrusive. I booked campsite #13, which was in the upper loop. Great site! We didn't have any neighbors immediately next to us, in any direction. Though the campground was almost completely full during my July visit, most people seemed to be out and about exploring the area during the day, and were quiet during the night. This is a tent-only campground, so it was nice not having to hear the hum of RVs all day. The grounds themselves were kept neat and tidy, the vault toilets were some of the cleanest I've seen, and there is potable water available. The campground is really close to some awesome swimming holes on the Yuba River. There is a trailhead directly across Hwy 49 that provides access. My group walked down to the river most days we were there. The traffic on Hwy 49 isn't very heavy so we felt really safe walking across and along the Hwy. The small town of Downieville is a definite must visit while you're in the area. We were camping specifically to attend the Downieville Mountain Brewfest (which was awesome!) but the town itself is charming and full of interesting historical places and things to see. All in all, the Ramshorn Campground provided a great base to explore Downieville, the Yuba River, and Tahoe National Forest. I'll definitely be back to explore more of the area and camp here again.

Pass Creek is one of several campgrounds in the area that are situated next to a reservoir under…read moresome nice pine trees. Unfortunately, most of them allow RVs and none of those RV owners can stand to be away from the use of electricity so you can count on the nearly non-stop noise of multiple generators, along with the noise of Polaris Razrs and other similar OHV/quads. Let's face it: we don't go camping to be uncomfortable. If your idea of comfort is bringing a studio apartment on wheels with air conditioning, electricity and running water -- this is the place for you. If your idea of comfort is a tent and the night stars -- you'll want to break camp before the RV people wake up and fire up their generators. It's good enough for a night or two if you have plans to go elsewhere (hiking or swimming at a different place with fewer power boats) but it's not a destination campground, per se.

The area itself is pretty great. You have a lake where you can do lake stuff, and a nice trail of…read moretrees for a hike. My experience though was ruined by some very unclear signs which resulted in a small little pow-wow with the park attendant. Please update your signs to make it abundantly clear which places are available for drop-in and which have been taken. It said that camper information needs to be listed to show a spot is taken. Most of the spots had last names so they were obviously taken. Mine didn't and it had the little yellow circle meant for drop-ins. There was only a number listed on the card (which looked completely different than the example card at the entrance, where the instructions pretty clearly stated that customer information was listed on each claimed site). So the first come, first serve rules were very unclear. Thankfully there was still plenty of daylight left for me to pack up and find another place. To top it off, the attendant that came in had this really accusational tone. So hey buddy, if you are reading this, I'm sure you went around and insulted me to all the other campers and shared stories to your coworkers about the asshole tourist from Thursday. Maybe if you had a little better customer service, we would have talked it out. As such, you lost a customer permanently. Hope you are happy to know that I found a different spot very easily without needing your "help."

This is a beautiful, well-maintained campground that sits right up against the Truckee River. The…read moresites are a decent size, and some are right at the edge of the water--those are the prime ones if you can snag them. Each site comes with a large bear box, a fire ring with a cooking grate, and a big picnic table. The bathrooms are vault toilets that were clean and well-stocked with toilet paper. There is a busy road nearby that drowns out the sound of the river unless you're right next to the water, but once night falls things calm down nicely. We stayed in a tent trailer while attending a show at the Salty Gebhardt Amphitheater, so we didn't spend a ton of time hanging out at the site, but it still made for a solid basecamp. Would happily stay again.

This is a beautiful, well maintained campground that sits up against the Truckee River. The sites…read moreare decent size and some are right at the edge of the river. The bathrooms include vault toilets that are well stocked with toilet paper. Each site has a large bear box, a fire ring with a grate for cooking, and a large picnic table. I have to say that I don't think I would go back to tent camp at this spot. The busy road nearby drowned out the sound of the river unless right near the water. Some campers were up and partying until almost 0300 when my husband and I were trying to tent camp. Lights from the road shined across our tent the whole night. This spot would be great if you have a camper or RV.

For $28 you can reserve a good sized spot right next to Prosser Reservoir for a day of fun, beauty…read moreand water play. Each site can accommodate multiple parties, one site had 10+ tent on it - great for group camping. 10 minutes away from Truckee, it feels remote enough but also has access to resources if needed.